Free Guide | Still the Trusted Voice
Patients Are Using AI for Health Information.
Is Your Care Team Ready?
Most conversations about AI in healthcare focus on the tools hospitals adopt, such as ambient documentation and clinical decision support. A parallel shift is happening on the patient side. About a third of U.S. adults now use AI for health information, a share that doubled in a single year. Patients ask chatbots about symptoms before the appointment, compare answers during it, and keep asking about medications and test results after they go home.
Clinicians remain the most trusted source of health information. Still the Trusted Voice is a free PRC guide that helps leaders put that trust to work by preparing patients for what they will find online, inviting them to share what they have read, and giving them clear next steps.
What the research shows about patients and AI health information
- 57% of U.S. adults consult an online source before contacting a provider about a new symptom (The Health Management Academy, 2026)
- 83% of providers have corrected AI-generated misinformation during a visit, and 63% say it adds time (Zocdoc, 2026)
- Nearly half of chatbot health responses were rated problematic in a 2026 BMJ Open study of five widely used chatbots
- 85% of AI users trust health information from clinicians, compared with 56% for AI chatbots (KFF, 2026)
How to talk to patients about AI health information
Competing with AI on volume of information is the wrong goal. The guide’s search-ready communication model helps care teams make every conversation more trusted, more relevant, more human, and more actionable than the first answer a patient finds online. It includes five clinician communication best practices:
- Anticipate the follow-up search
- Normalize patient research
- Address misinformation before it appears
- Teach for future questions
- Pair teach-back with a personal next step
What’s inside the guide
- National data on how patients search before, during, and after care
- The AI-informed patient journey, including patients who cancel after searching
- Five best practices with language to try and illustrative scenarios
- How to respond when the patient’s AI research is right
- A leader playbook and seven-statement self-assessmen
Who this guide is for:
Patient experience, nursing, quality, clinical education, and executive leaders who coach clinicians, design patient education, or set communication standards.
What Questions are Explored?
How many patients use AI for health information?
About 32% of U.S. adults have used AI for physical or mental health information, according to a 2026 KFF poll.
Why does patient AI use matter to care teams?
Patients often arrive with conclusions already formed, and 83% of providers report correcting AI-generated misinformation during visits.
How should clinicians respond when patients use AI?
Invite it. A simple opener such as “What have you already read or heard about this?” makes it easier for patients to share and gives clinicians a chance to add context.
Download Still the Trusted Voice (free, 14 pages).
Want to put it into practice? PRC also facilitates a 90-minute self-assessment working session with your leadership team. Contact us here.